Have you ever got to the supermarket – only to find that you’ve left the shopping list at home? Or struggled with your other half’s terrible handwriting? Luckily, there’s an easier, tech-based way. Here’s how to create an Alexa shopping list.

First, and this is quite obvious, you’ll have to buy an Amazon Echo device. Whether you choose a full-fat, second-generation Echo, cheaper Echo Dot or the nifty screen of the Echo Spot, you’ll find that Alexa will transform the way you do things around the house – including how you pick up groceries.

Second, note that we’ll be using the Echo’s inbuilt shopping list tool. There are plenty of hird-party Skills you can teach Alexa that do the same job, but Amazon’s is very user-friendly and simple.

How to create an Alexa shopping list

Adding items to an Alexa list is incredibly straightforward. For instance, simply use the command “Alexa, add strawberries to my shopping list” and strawberries will dutifully, and instantly, appear on the shopping list inside the app.

To find the list, open the Alexa app and tap the menu button (three horizontal lines, also known as a “burger” or “sandwich” for obvious reasons) in the top-left of the screen. Select Lists and tap on Shopping.

To test Alexa, I added some quintessentially British items and brands (and, because I’m a millennial, avocados). It performed admirably…

To remove items, just tap the corresponding left-hand circle to add it to the “Completed” list. You can also manually type in an item by tapping “Add Item” at the top of the list – although that somewhat defeats the point.

Alexa also has another trick up its sleeve: you can share the list with whoever you like. Tap the three vertical dots in the right-hand corner of the shopping list page and select Share. You can then send it to someone via email, text or a range of other messaging services and even save it to Google Drive.

There’s now really no excuse for “forgetting” to pick up those tinned prunes…